The Coastal Studies program can be taken as a concentration within the Environmental Science and Policy Major, or it can act as a stand alone minor for students of any major. The semester-long program is travel-based and designed to provide students with both textbook and first-hand knowledge of environmental challenges currently facing the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast. As a member of a close-knit, motivated community, you'll gain an understanding and appreciation for watershed science and the complexities of coastal environments. We explore the biological, ecological, historical and cultural influences on field locations that we visit.
Program Overview
Logistics
- Offered each fall semester
- 4 closely interrelated courses that will go far beyond traditional classroom and lab settings.
- Co-curricular activities like seminars offered at the laboratories we visit, extended field experiences in natural areas, and day-trips to sites of unique ecological, historical and cultural interest.
- Opportunity to attend a professional scientific meeting and hear the latest research in your area of interest from scientists and students from other colleges and universities.
- Involved in an interdisciplinary research practicum, an open-ended inquiry into environmental issues in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Join us in Fall 2025!
Email Catherine Gaudlip (gaudlip@hood.edu) for more information!
Apply to be a Coastal Studies Student today! Applications are due March 31, 2025.
Scroll down for Registration Forms.
Click here to go to an interactive map of where we will be traveling during the fall semester.
A Q&A with Coastal '21 student, Emily Sponaugle:
Graduation Year: 2024
Major: Environmental Science and Policy, Concentration in Coastal and Watershed Studies
Hometown: Cumberland, MD
Why did you choose Coastal?
I chose to be apart of the Coastal Semester for some guidance, I was really interested in Environmental Science but really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do major-wise. I went to the interest meeting and realized that this program was something I wanted to do because you are traveling and learning about different environments in Maryland.
What did you expect or not expect?
My expectations for coastal semester were that we would travel to different places in Maryland with a group, but I didn’t expect that even though the semester has passed, the people who were in that group are still going to be there. I didn’t realize the amount of support that you get from the group of students and the directors. Also, when it comes to the classes, the amount of work that was given and the useful tools and skills that I use for classes that I am taking right now. Coastal semester has prepared me for my future ENSP classes.
What are you doing now?
Since I don’t graduate until 2024, I am currently looking for summer internships in my field of interest, Forest Ecology. Also, I am doing an Independent Study with Kate Maltby, a fellow Coastal student, and we are working with Dr. Kindahl to make Hood a bird-friendly campus.